Arlong held his mug forward, clinking it against another mug held by his captain.
"Great job today, Arlong!" said the jovial voice of Fisher Tiger, a red-skinned fish-man who towered over everyone else in the crew. "You showed those Marine bastards why they should fear us!"
"Still, you went too far," said Jinbe, a blue-skinned fish-man almost as wide as he was tall.
"Give him a break, Jinbe!" Fisher Tiger said. "He just did what had to be done!"
"Th-Thank you, Brother Tiger!" Arlong said, bowing his head. "I'll make sure I never let you down!"
Suddenly, the warm atmosphere turned icy-cold. Arlong hesitantly raised his head to see everyone else in the crew, everyone who'd been partying up until now, looking at him as if he were less than garbage.
"W-What…?" Arlong said, gulping. "What's the matter—"
"If you'll never let us down," Fisher Tiger said, his expression just as cold as the rest, "then why'd you fail?"
Blood flowed from Fisher Tiger's mouth, a trickle at first, soon turning into a crimson torrent. And his clothing had suddenly gained numerous bloodstained holes, all of similar size.
"By losing, you failed us all, Arlong," Jinbe said, almost spitting out the words. "If I'd known you'd lose to humans, I never would have let you go. I should have killed you myself."
"N-No!" Arlong protested, standing up from his chair. "I kept them all safe, all of the guys who follow me!"
But then Arlong noticed. He noticed the blood, the agonised expressions of Kuroobi, Chew, Hatchan and everyone else.
"You failed us…"
"You were supposed to protect us!"
"You don't deserve to be our captain!"
"You're a disgrace to fish-men!"
Arlong whirled around, trying to reassure everyone, yet the barrage of contempt was too much for him to do anything. Then his head was abruptly seized by an overwhelming pressure, like an egg trapped in a vise.
"...Arlong," said the captain of the Sun Pirates, now holding Arlong's head with just one hand. "You were supposed to show the world how fish-men are superior to humans. Now that you've lost to humans… you need to be punished."
Then the pressure increased…
-ooo-
Arlong sat up in his bed, breathing as intensely as if he'd just swum around the entire world. He brought a hand to his face and gingerly touched it.
It's nothing… Of course it's nothing…
That's right, Brother Tiger would never say anything like that. He was a lot more understanding…
...and he didn't believe in fish-man supremacy…
...and before I set out with my own crew, he… was already…
Arlong shook his head. He couldn't let the ghosts of the past weigh him down. His crew was all alive, and they were all heading back home for a well-deserved break. He had to focus on that.
It shouldn't be long now… just one more day…
After taking a few more deep breaths, Arlong got out of bed and walked to the door of his cabin. The memory of a human in a straw hat flashed across his mind, so he quickly suppressed that and stepped out into the sunlight.
Currently, the Arlong Pirates were lazing around more than they were working. It was hard to blame them, considering where they were now.
"Ah… we're almost at Sabaody now."
"Can't we stop there, just for a bit?"
"There's no way we can do that!"
"But if we put on decent disguises…"
That conversation filled Arlong with nostalgia. Like many other young fish-men, he'd secretly swum up to the waters around Sabaody Archipelago to spy on its attractions. One thing he could never fault humans for was their sense for entertainment. It was something he'd tried to imitate, even if he'd never admit that out loud.
But Arlong Park was nothing but dust now… and he wasn't sure about rebuilding it.
Staying in one place, building up something grand… it just means drawing attention. Maybe it's better to always be out on the sea…
Arlong sat down on a crate and faced the ship's port side, gazing at the rippling surface of the sea.
-ooo-
A few hours later, when the sun was near its peak, there was a shout of "Ship! Two o'clock!"
Arlong stood up. "Is it the Marines!?" he asked. "Other pirates!? Or civilians!?"
"It's too small to be Marines!" the ship's lookout shouted back. "It looks like… wait… hey, it looks like Macro's ship!"
Arlong hurried to the bow of the ship and strained his vision. In front and slightly to the right was the tiny, yet unmistakable silhouette of a ship.
That put a smile on Arlong's face. It had been about nine years since he'd last seen the trio of Macro, Gyaro and Tansui. Until now, he didn't even know if they were still alive.
"Well, what are you waiting for?" Arlong shouted towards Chew, who was currently at the helm. "Bring us over to them!"
About a quarter of an hour later, they were close to Macro's ship. All of the Arlong Pirates gathered on the main deck, climbing up from below decks and dropping down from the masts.
Macro's ship was quite small and had a very odd shape: the front half consisted of a cabin with two paddle wheels for propulsion, while the back half was an enormous tank of water with a pirate flag flying at the top.
The three members of the Macro Pirates could be seen in the ship's cabin. Macro himself was a pelican eel fish-man with a massive lower jaw and thick forearms. Gyaro was a pop-eyed goldfish fish-man with distinctively swollen eye sockets. Tansui, as an arowana fish-man, was the bulkiest of them all, and had yellow scales in place of hair.
The members of the Arlong Pirates waved cheerfully, and called out "Hey, where've you been all this time!?" and "Glad to see you're okay!"
Yet the Macro Pirates didn't look nearly as pleased to see them. Rather, they looked absolutely terrified.
What's wrong? Arlong wondered. They've seen who we are now, why would they be scared?
Currently, Macro's ship was oriented with its bow facing towards Arlong's ship. As a result, the water tank of the former was almost completely hidden from view. But as the latter ship approached, the top of the water tank gradually came into view. It looked like there was something moving inside…
...then Macro suddenly jumped up onto the deck of Arlong's ship.
"A-A-Arlong!" Macro said, obviously yet inexplicably frantic. "Everyone! I-It's great to see you again!"
"Yeah, it sure is," Arlong said. "What've you three been doing lately, Macro?"
Beads of sweat trickled down Macro's face. "Ah… um… just… just showing humans the strength of fish-men, that's all! We've been doing raids and hauling in booty! Not as much as you, Arlong, but—"
Arlong didn't wait to hear another word. He'd known Macro well for about three years, and though it had been more than a decade since then, Macro hadn't gotten any better at lying.
Instead, Arlong jumped. His powerful legs sent him to almost the height of his ship's main mast. From that high vantage point, he could clearly see what was inside the tank of the Macro Pirates' ship.
A… mermaid!?
Arlong landed and glared at Macro, who now looked like a minnow confronted by a Sea King.
"I-It's not what it looks like, Arlong!" Macro said, waving his hands desperately. "S-She just asked us to give her a ride back to Fish-Man Island!"
"A ride…" Arlong growled. "Of course, that explains why she was hammering on the glass with her fists. And if I talked to her right now, she'd tell me nothing's wrong?"
Arlong turned his gaze towards Gyaro and Tansui. The two other members of the Macro Pirates hugged each other in fear.
"W-Why'd we have to run into Arlong here!?" Gyaro cried.
"It's over for us!" Tansui moaned.
Macro got down on the deck in prostration. "A-Arlong, please… You have to understand…"
"Understand…?"
The rest of the Arlong Pirates backed away. While they'd been looking at the Macro Pirates with disgust up until now, that feeling had been replaced with nervousness.
Arlong grabbed Macro by the neck and lifted him up to eye level.
"WHAT IS THERE TO UNDERSTAND!?" Arlong shouted. "WE WERE BOTH OF THE SUN PIRATES! WE FOUGHT TO SAVE FISH-MEN AND MERFOLK FROM SLAVERY! YET YOU WOULD SELL ONE OF OUR KIND TO THE HUMANS!?"
If Macro had anything to say in his defence, he wasn't able to do so. He was too busy choking and gasping for air.
"C-Captain!" Hatchan protested. "You're going to kill him!"
"IT'S THE LEAST HE DESERVES, FOR BETRAYING EVERYTHING BROTHER TIGER FOUGHT FOR!" Arlong retorted, never loosening his grip. "AND ONCE I'M DONE WITH HIM, THOSE TWO ARE NEXT!"
"Captain Arlong," Kuroobi said. "I know how you feel, but—shouldn't we at least hear them out first? Hear why they did this?"
After a few moments of hesitation, Arlong loosened his grip. Macro fell roughly to the deck and clutched his throat.
"...Well? What do you have to say for yourself?" Arlong said contemptuously. He looked at the smaller ship again and ordered, "Bring the other two up here, and the mermaid as well."
Arlong's crew did as commanded. Soon, there were three—no, four more unexpected guests on his ship.
"Thanks so much!" the mermaid said. She had short green hair, dark eyes and a pink fish tail, and had introduced herself as Camie. "I thought me and Pappag would be trapped forever!"
"Yes, thank you," said a red starfish at Camie's side, who'd formerly been trapped in the water tank as well. "And you're…" Pappag gulped, despite his seeming lack of the required organs. "the… Arlong Pirates, aren't you?"
"That's right," Hatchan replied. "But you don't have to worry, nyoo! We won't hurt you!"
"...Tell us, what exactly happened to you two?" Arlong asked, trying to keep a lid on his simmering rage.
The three Macro Pirates looked up glumly, but none of them said a word. They knew nothing they could say would improve their situation.
"W-Well…" Camie said, looking a bit awkward. "Pappag and me were swimming through the waters near here… or maybe it's far away by now… and we got swallowed up by a Sea Beast."
"A Sea Beast, choo?" Chew said. "How are you still alive after that?"
"We got really lucky!" Camie replied. "The Sea Beast didn't do any chewing first. And before long, someone came along and killed the Sea Beast, so we were free!"
Many pairs of eyes turned towards the Macro Pirates.
"...Yeah, we took down that Sea Beast," Macro confirmed. "It was just for food at first, we still have some dried fillets from it in our ship. But then we found those two inside the Sea Beast…"
"And?" Arlong said through clenched teeth.
"W-We grabbed them…" Gyaro admitted.
"Shut up and let me handle the talking!" Macro barked. Turning back to Arlong—but not meeting his eyes—he said, "Arlong, we… look, the three o' us were never as strong as you guys. When we went off on our own, all those years ago, we almost got killed dozens of times, it's a miracle we're still alive."
"And how did that lead you to… this?" Arlong asked.
"To survive without being strong, we need money," Macro explained. "To buy things we need, and to pay off the right people. So… we started catching people and selling them." He looked up at Arlong. "But I swear, we haven't done it to any fish-men or merfolk, other than Camie!"
"I don't care how many humans you sold off," Arlong growled. He leaned forward, causing the Macro Pirates to all flinch. "But to try selling even one of our own to humans is unforgivable. If Brother Tiger were still around, what would he think seeing his old crew, his old friends, sink to such depths!?"
The Macro Pirates looked at each other miserably. It was clear they regretted their actions, but that wasn't nearly enough for Arlong to forgive them.
"...You're right," Macro said. "We should've just gone back to Fish-Man Island, instead. We've let down Fisher Tiger… and… Koala…"
On hearing that name, Arlong clenched his teeth so tightly, it felt as if they might break under the strain.
"M-Macro!" Hatchan said from somewhere nearby. "Don't mention her around the captain!"
Kuroobi swiftly moved in and pulled Camie and Pappag away, out of range of Arlong's wrath.
"W-What's going on!?" Camie asked.
"He just… mentioned an acquaintance from the past, who our captain has… complex feelings about," Kuroobi explained.
However, Arlong forced himself to take several deep breaths. During the voyage so far, he'd been training privately to control his anger, to avoid terrifying his crew again.
Calm down. What would… What would Brother Tiger do?
"...That human girl doesn't matter," Arlong lied. "More importantly, I've decided what to do with you three."
The Macro Pirates trembled as they awaited their sentence.
"For the time we spent together in the Sun Pirates, I won't kill you all," Arlong declared. "My crew's heading back to Fish-Man Island for a break. While we're there, we'll turn you over to the authorities. That's all the mercy you'll get."
"Th-Thank you!" Macro said.
"Thank you so much!" Gyaro said.
"We'll never forget this!" Tansui said.
Normally, no one who'd come from the Fish-Man District of Fish-Man Island would ever give a compatriot to the authorities. No matter how vehemently they disagreed, they'd just settle things with their fists. But for the atrocious crime of selling a mermaid to human slavery, even if it was only attempted, the only possible punishments were this or execution.
Technically, there was also the option of giving them to human authorities. Since most of the Macro Pirates' victims were humans, that might even be the most "just" option.
But Arlong, no matter the situation, would never give his fellows to humans.
ooo-
The next day, the Red Line came into view. The colossal mountain range rose up from the sea into the sky, its upper reaches so high they were mostly obscured by clouds.
We're almost there… Arlong thought, and with more than we started with…
The Macro Pirates had been given a cabin to themselves. They were technically allowed to go anywhere on the ship, but they rarely ever left that cabin. The tension between them and everyone else on board was simply too great.
Camie and Pappag had been given a cabin on the opposite end of the ship from their former captors. The mermaid and starfish duo were surprisingly cheerful despite being swallowed whole by a Sea Beast, then captured by slavers.
"Hey, hey, what have you been doing?" Camie asked, her eyes practically shining. "I heard all of you were in the East Blue before! Isn't that a really nice place?"
"Uh, um…" Pisaro said. "It is, I guess… We, um, spent a while on this sunny island where lots of citrus fruit is grown…"
"Citrus?" Pappag said, folding two of his limbs as though they were arms. "That's not something you see often in Fish-Man Island's markets… I don't eat fruit myself, but is it as sweet as they say?"
"It's… It's…" Pisaro said, his eyes darting around for help and eventually settling on someone else. "Hey, Kaneshiro! This is something you'd know more about!"
"Don't just pass 'em off to me!" Kaneshiro protested.
...There had been minor incidents like that. For a group of ruthless pirates, interacting with peaceful citizens was more difficult than any battle.
Fortunately, they were at the Red Line now. Fish-Man Island lay in a cavern at its base, ten kilometres beneath the surface of the sea.
"You five, stay on the ship for now to keep watch," Arlong ordered, facing five of his crew members. "We'll be back in a few days, with plenty of souvenirs, and then you'll be able to relax too."
"Understood, Captain Arlong!" one of the designated guards replied.
Then most of the Arlong Pirates, the Macro Pirates, a mermaid and a talking starfish dived over the ship's edge into the warm water.
At first they were in the sunlit zone of the sea, cloudy with plankton and with schools of fish darting around. But that zone was shallow compared to the great depth of the sea, and they passed it in less than a minute. All the while, the rock of the Red Line remained in view as a landmark, though the water made it appear blue instead of its actual colour.
Soon enough, they found a current that led downwards. Without further ado, they swam into it.
"Whoa!" Hatchan cried out, almost swept away as he entered the current. "This is—a lot stronger than any East Blue currents, nyoo!"
"Haha, it's proof we're getting close to home!" Kuroobi replied, grabbing one of Hatchan's arms to stabilise him.
The water became dimmer and dimmer as they descended rapidly. If any of the land-dwelling races dived this deep—assuming they even had the breath to do so—they'd be unable to see well, on top of the cold and the intense pressure. But for fish-men and merfolk, this was merely a peaceful and relaxing environment.
Eventually, the surrounding water became pitch-black. That, combined with the even greater cold and pressure, resulted in the local creatures being very different from those on the surface. They had gaping mouths to consume large amounts of food in one meal, bioluminescent organs to allow them to see—or they instead had no eyes at all—and moved slowly to conserve energy. This was the realm known as the Underworld of the Sea, a realm few land-dwellers even knew existed.
"Look!" Camie said, pointing at one giant anglerfish. "Pappag and me once got eaten by one of those, too, when we were going out from the island!"
"...Just how careless are you?" Shioyaki asked from the side. "And how lucky are you to still be alive after all that?"
Then they reached the bottom of the sea. Here there was the occasional volcanic vent, which Arlong and the others kept a wary distance from. Crinoids and tube worms were attached to the seabed, tiny crabs scuttled in the gaps between them, and sea cucumbers burrowed in the sediment.
Arlong hadn't experienced this for years. Not only had he been spending far too much time on dry land, but the East Blue—all of the Blues, in fact—never got as deep as the Grand Line. Seeing the bizarre deep-sea fauna, feeling the cool water on his skin, made him feel he was returning to his roots.
Maybe we should never have gone out to the East Blue… never settled on a human island, made deals with Marines… By doing that, did we forget what it truly means to be fish-men?
...Hmph. Never thought I'd be acting like a philosopher now...
Finally, about half an hour after they began their dive, there was light up ahead. It started as a mere pinprick, growing larger and brighter as they approached, until all of the surrounding water was bright and warm again.
Up ahead were several immense wooden pillars—in fact, these were the roots of the Sunlight Tree Eve, an ancient tree which transmitted light from the surface down to the seabed. And, nestled among these roots, there was a gigantic bubble containing white clouds and rocky structures.
It was their long-awaited home… Fish-Man Island.